Hunted
"What the hell would local criminals be doing with Alien artifacts?" - Scully Hunted is the sixth episode of Season 12. Mulder and Scully are tasked with an investigation into a series of gruesome murders in Deroit, which is on the brink of a snow storm. Upon investigation, they find the victims were all 'fixers' attempting to bring an unknown individual of great significance to D.C to meet the agents. Summary At a seedy bar in down town Detroit, a local criminal Kelvin Ambrose waits for a colleague while drinking heavily. As Ambrose becomes impatient, he is approached by a man wearing a long coat, leather gloves and sunglasses who sits across from him in the booth. Ambrose angrily demands to know who he is. The man replies cryptically, and tells him that his appointment will not be coming. He then asks where "she" is. Ambrose dismisses the questioning, and the man responds by slamming Ambrose's face into the table, turning a few heads in the bar. Ambrose continues to dodge the questions, and the man responds by dragging him out of the bar into an alleyway, where other men wearing masks appear. They take him into a garage, where Ambrose sees the man he was supposed to meet, Henry Colloway, dead and mutiliated. They nail him onto a wooden cross, and prepare to torture him, as he continues to refuse questioning. Ambrose asks the man why he's wearing sunglasses at night, and the man replies that he wants his eyes to be the last thing Ambrose sees before he dies. As one of the other men takes out a long ritual dagger, the man removes his glasses and shows his face to Ambrose, who screams in terror before being murdered. Act One After being put into pairs as a team effort on the case, Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Blakely travel downtown to begin their investigation. Mulder and Doggett each head to the crime scene to meet the Detroit Office's SAC, Linda Wiseman, while Scully and Blakely go to the coroners to examine the two bodies. In the garage, Wiseman shows Mulder and Doggett the scene, where it appears the two were killed seperately, and that there is no sign of a break in. Wiseman concludes that it was likely a revenge double homicide, as the two men were illegitmate businessmen. A local DPD Detective, Kessler, admits that he is suspicious about the two being involved in the same operation as he knows both of them as very different entities; Ambrose the runner of an illegal refugee business profitting from narcotics and prostitution, while Colloway was a suspected corrupt lawyer believed to be a 'fixer' for local gangsters. He also notes that research has shown that Colloway prosecuted Ambrose during a case that was dropped for undisclosed reasons. Mulder opines that the killers were likely colluding with the owner of the premises, Kareem Al-Sadd, and Doggett orders that he be detained immediately. At the coroners, Scully begins her examination, observed by Blakely, and both are shocked by the brutal state of the bodies. Both have been crucified, and have suffered multiple lacerations to the torso, arms, thighs and face, including having their eyes torn out. Scully notices branded marks on both cadavers' chests, above the heart, which she instantly believes is the same scripture she saw has seen on alien artifacts, though she does not disclose this to either Blakely or the coroner. Mulder and Doggett interogate Al-Sadd at the Detroit office, who admits accepting cash for the use of his garage, but denies knowing the activities that were intended. Due to Al-Sadd not having a criminal record, Mulder believes him. Scully and Blakely join them, and disclose their findings. Doggett admits that he doesn't see anything more than especially violent gangland killings, and voices his doubts that there is much cause for them to be there. Doggett and Blakely leave to speak to Wiseman. Scully takes Mulder aside and shows him the pictures of the scripture brands, and Mulder agrees there is a similarity but that it can't be known for sure whether it is the same writing. Meanwhile, the man and his masked men are buying weapons from a local gangster, Stefan Mueller. Mueller frequently enquires about the appearance of the men he is dealing with, and asks why the man is wearing sunglasses. The man bebukes the questioning and insures his men have examined their weapons; rifles, submachine guns and even an RPG that Mueller is concerned about selling. His concerns are ignored, and the man concludes that the deal is a good one. He asks whether Mueller has "the other package", and the dealer gives him a bag of what appears to be morphine. The man passes it around, and one of his men who appears to have a fever is given it first. Mueller is disgusted by his buyers, but nonetheless brings up the subject of payment. The man states that there is no money, and when Mueller becomes angry two of the men grab him and pin him to a wall. Another takes out a bag of nails and a hammer, and the man advises that he should have brought back up as he pulls a ritual dagger out of a bag. At the FBI Office, Wiseman speaks with the four agents, and after Doggett makes clear his confusion as to their involvement, Wiseman admits that she personally believes the killings may be the work of devil worshippers, due to the ritualistic murders and the fact that it is Halloween season. Scully admits that the wounds inflicted on the two men may explain this, but Mulder states that the two men have no connection to Satanists. Wiseman admits that she specifically asked for Mulder and Scully due to their experience of the paranormal, and admits to being "freaked out" by the case. She claims that street criminals have been spreading rumours about masked men lurking at night and "hunting" for someone. Although taken aback, Doggett says that he see's no reason for them to stay and that with a storm front closing in, the quartet should finish up and leave asap. Before they can continue, Agent Trey Donal enters and informs them that there has been another identical murder. While Blakely and Doggett attend the crime scene, Mulder and Scully investigate Kelvin Ambrose's apartment attempting to find a connection to Colloway. At the warehouse, Doggett notes that once again the wounds on Mueller indicate a display of ritual rather than simple torture. Blakely notices that there is a seperate blood trail leaving the building, and although Kessler suggests it his likely footprints, Doggett orders that the blood be tested against Mueller's anyway. Kessler admits that he's shocked by the death, as Mueller was a suspected narcotics and firearms dealer that their undercovers had been attempting to convict for months. In the attic space of an abandoned house, the masked men are preparing their weapons, and one of the men, called 'Ajhik' by the man, informs his leader that the man who was running a fever, 'Lyzhl', is getting worse. The man states bluntly that he will weigh them down, and 'Ajhik' reluctantly agrees. Ajhik and another man carry Lyzhl outside where they kill him with a dagger. Act Two At Ambrose's apartment, Scully says that she has been shaken by her discovery of the scripture, but admits that she cannot find any reason for it being what she suspects. Mulder tells her that the nature of the previous few years has undoubtedly made them both very "sensitive" to connections regarding previous experiences. During the search, Mulder finds documents between Ambrose and Colloway during the time of Ambrose's trial. They prove that Ambrose used his mob connections to blackmail Colloway into messing up the case enough to have it thrown out, which promptly resulted in Colloway's disgrace. He also finds receipts for a big rig truck in Texas, and a phone number next to the name Maria Rodriquez. Al-Sadd is released from jail, and vents his anger at the fact that his attorney was not present. He is told by the attending officer that his lawyer's dead, and that he should stop complaining. Scully meets with Doggett and Blakely at the warehouse, and when she begins to speculate on her findings on the new body Doggett tells her there is no need since Mueller's condition is identical to the other victims. He reports that the blood trail leaving the building doesn't match that of Ambrose, and so they may have a new lead. Scully insists on conducting an autopsy regardless, much to Doggett's bafflement. He is then informed by a DPD officer that the warehouse is registered to Al-Sadd. Al-Sadd returns home to find the electricty cut and the man in his living room. He is shocked, and doesn't recognise the intruder, who informs him that his business may suffer "due to the recent increase in resident corpses". Al-Sadd speculates that the man is responsible for the killings, the man confirms this, and when Al-Sadd asks whether the man will kill him too, the man replies that that depends on his cooperation. He asks Al-Sadd where "she" is, as two other masked men emerge from the shadows. Mulder searches Colloway's plush apartment, and finds legal records giving the all clear for a number of visas within the city, with dates matching those found in the documents at Ambrose's home. He also finds the same number and name as he did at Ambrose's apartment, and phones it, pretending to be Colloway. Rodriquez answers while in the basement of an apartment block, and almost instantly sees through Mulder's ruse. She hangs up. A faint, unrecognisable voice emenates from a locked door asking who had phoned her, to which Rodriquez lies that it was a wrong number. The female voice asks whether she can be let out, and Rodriquez states that she can't do it, before leaving. Doggett and Blakely, with a team of Detroit PD, arrive at Al-Sadd's apartment to find that he has disappeared. One of the officers notes that he may have left town after being released, but they find his jacket and possessions. Doggett also mentions that the door would not have been unlocked if this was the case, and orders a search to begin. Meanwhile, Scully begins her autopsy on Mueller and disovers identical scripture runes over his heart. She phones Mulder, who relents that although something very unsual is occuring, it may be far more down to earth than aliens. He states his theory that Ambrose and Holloway were working together, along with the woman Rodriquez, to ship illegal immigrants into the country through Mexico, with Ambrose providing transport and personnel and Holloway the legal documentation. When Scully queries as to why they would be brought to Detroit, Mulder admits that he doesn't know but that a search of Holloway's records could provide the answer. As she leaves the coroner's office for the night, Scully is surprised by Donal who apologises for scaring her. He informs her that they may have found a DNA match for the blood found at the Mueller crime scene. Scully tells him that she is beginning to see a patern emerging, but that the murderers themselves are totally inexplicable. Donal tells her that he has seen alot of strange, horrible crimes in the city and that it is possible they are barking up the wrong tree. Mulder meets Doggett and explains his theory that Ambrose and Colloway were working together to bring illegal immigrants into the country and then to Detroit, possibly as workers, and that identifiying and locating Rodriquez has to be their top priority. Rodriquez is visited in her apartment by Al-Sadd, who is terrified and speaks of shadow men coming for "them". Rodriqez slaps him on the face, telling him that if he doesn't calm down he will blow it for everyone. Al-Sadd firmly says that they "have to give her up". Rodriquez responds furiously, hitting Al-Sadd and accusing him of being an idiot who doesn't understand anything. Al-Sadd simply replies that if they don't, "they're going to kill us all. The same way as Kelvin and Henry". Act Three Wiseman is visited by Doggett late in the night at her apartment, and the two of them, who reveal their previous history, share a bottle of scotch and discuss why she really had the four come down to Detroit. She sticks to her story, but admits that she's very happy to see him again. They talk about Doggett's own experiences on the X files, and his view on Mulder and Scully. When he doesn't comment on their work and subsequent reputation, Wiseman jokingly tells him that he doesn't want to have to "force the information out of (him)". Doggett suddenly thinks of something, and calls Mulder. Mulder answers at his motel room, where he and Scully have retired for the night. Doggett asks whether Scully is with him. He then asks whether the post mortem suggests that the lacerations may have been an attempt to force information out of the men. Scully responds that it could well be the case, and Doggett speculates that they were interrogated about the possible racketeering operation Mulder had suggested. Mulder confirms that he too thinks this, but that he still has no idea who would be responsible and how Mueller was involved. After the conversation, Wiseman notes the snow storm outside and suggests that Doggett isn't going anywhere tonight. Blakely is intercepted as he leaves the Detroit Office by an agent who tells him they just received a confirmed blood match for that found at the Mueller crime scene. Blakely is shown that the man is one Reynald Thompson, a native of North Dakota who is suspected to be part of a purpoted militia group there. A baffled Blakely is then informed that a weather warning has effectively closed down the roads due to snow. Outside in the snow, a freezing El-Sadd is greeted an alley way by the man, who asks him what happened. When Al-Sadd replies that it didn't work, two masked men grab him from behind, while the man simply replies "that's a shame". The following morning, Mulder, Scully, Doggett and Blakely meet with Wiseman at the Office, where Doggett states that the airport has been closed and so they will be staying to solve the case. He orders Blakely to start liasing with the Detroit staff to get a background check on Reynald Thompson, and that he wants Mulder and Scully following up on a lead for Rodriquez, which has come up as an alias for immigration employee Lucia Santos. He also tells them that Thompson's body has been found in wasteland with a slit throat, and that a search of Colloway's files has found a single set of visa papers for an immigrant who's name has been erased from the record. Doggett and Wiseman search the home of Mueller. Rodriquez leaves for work, and is watched as she goes by one of the masked men, who promptly makes a phone call. Act Four Mulder and Scully visit Rodriquez's place of work, the Immigration Department, and are told that she has not showed up. They obtain an address, and while Scully speaks with one of her colleagues, Mulder looks around her office. He is startled when he finds not only a copy of the same visa papers seen at Colloway's office, but then a note that has both Mulder's and Scully's names on them along with a phone number for their office. Mulder shows this to Scully, and concludes that they need to go to her residence immediately. Doggett and Wiseman examine Mueller's apartment, and Doggett becomes annoyed with Wiseman's constant flirting and playful behaviour. He finds an email on Mueller's computer from Ambrose, which is a request for "protection". He concludes that Mueller was supposed to provide the muscle for whatever operation was being conducted. Blakely oversees the autopsy conducted on Thompson, and is horrified when the sheet is removed to show that the man has old scarring all over his torso, face and hands, as well as barbaric tattoos bearing phrases in a foreign language. The coroner comments that he is amazed that Thompson had survived the lacerations, which seem to have been caused a matter of years before. Blakely notices the almost ritualistic nature of the scars, and the coroner confirms that they may well have been self inflicted. He also mentions that although the wound to the throat is the undoubted cause of death, there is also an infected scar on his chest that was made days before. Blakely is informed by another agent that a background check on Thompson shows that he is a former US Military soldier, that his current address in undisclosed, and that the North Dakota Office has him on a list of suspected members of a possible UFO Cult accused of a number of violent crimes, named Willing Flesh. Blakely asks to be patched through to the North Dakota Office. Mulder and Scully arrive at Rodriquez's apartment, and stop her as she tries to escape through a fire escape. She is stunned when they identify themselves, and asks them "how they know". Mulder asks her whether she was involved in a racketeering operation along with Ambrose, Colloway and Mueller to bring immigrants to the city. She stuns them by replying that there was only one person they brought in. As Mulder questions her, Scully hears somebody calling her by her first name and wanders out unnoticed. Blakely calls Doggett, informing him that Thompson appears to a member of the radical UFO cult. Doggett confirms this and states that members of Willing Flesh are suspected of the mass murder of another UFO cult fronted by the deceased preacher Absalom. He also states that he is heading to Rodriquez's apartment after finding a note from her to Mueller stating that she is hiding the lone immigrant, a teenage girl from El Salvador who Doggett says he knows. Drawn by the voice, Scully makes her way down to the basement level of the building, where she is surprised to find Agent Donal, who tells her that he has found someone in one of the storage rooms. Scully becomes suspicious, and Donal's body language indicates that he is nervous or impatient. Donal goes outside, to "call for back up". As the snow storm outside intensifies, Scully unlocks the door and finds that it is Selena Correia inside. Scully is stunned, and immediately checks her for injury and asks whether she is ok. Selena indicates that she is fine. Donal returns from outside, and Selena suddenly tells Scully that "he is one of them". Before Scully can react, Donal draws his sidearm and holds them up, telling Selena that "it's all over now". Donal then undoes his shirt and reveals an alien artifact on a chain around his neck, and fresh scarring on his chest. Before he can react, the artifact gravitates away from him, snapping the chain and hovers in middair under Selena's control, before spinning at high speed back and decapitating Donal. Scully stands in shock. In Rodriquez's apartment, Mulder notices that Scully has gone and goes to look for her when a shot rings out from a sniper across the road, killing Rodriquez. Mulder hits the deck, and out the window he sees a group of armed men in masks entering the building. A pair of the men burst into the basement level, followed by the man, and they find nothing. Outside, Scully rushes Selena away and tries to get her to the car as she phones Mulder, but is stopped as shots from the sniper force her back into cover. She reaches Mulder and explains to him what's going on, and Mulder tells her to stay put and that he'd be right there. Cowering in an alley, Scully attempts to call out to Doggett and is able to get through a call, that is distorted by the weather conditions. Doggett immediately orders back up to be sent as he leaves the building. In the alleyway, Scully is startled by one of the men, and instictively shoots him dead. As Mulder makes his way down the stairs, he runs into one of the masked gunman, and they exchange shots. Mulder kills the masked man, but a ricochet catches him on the head and knocks him unconscious. The men in masks locate where Scully and Selena are hiding, and advance on the alley to find it abandoned. As they investigate, one of the men calls upon their leader as 'Keyhl' and points out a loose sewer cover. They prise it open and look down into it, hearing distant footsteps. Keyhl loads his pistol and tells his men "The antichrist must die. Find her". [[Hunter|'To Be Continued...']] Background Information Trivia * First appearance by Selena Correia since Season 10's Umbrakinesis. * First appearance by the Willing Flesh Cult. Writer's Notes T.B.C Misc Quotes Ambrose: Wha.....why you wearing shades in the dark for anyhow? Keyhl: I want my eyes to be the last thing you see before you die. (Examining Reynald Thompson's body) Coroner: Oh my God... Blakely: What the hell did this to him? Coroner: I...don't know, but I can't believe he was still alive after it. Blakely: What? Coroner: The throat injury is doubtless the cause of death. These scars are years old, at least. Dossier Notes [[Hunted/Dossier|'Hunted Dossier']] Cast of Characters *Fox Mulder *Dana Scully *John Doggett *Tom Blakely *Selena Correia *The Man/'Keyhl' *Linda Wiseman *Maria Rodriquez/Lucia Santos *Kelvin Ambrose *'Lhyzl'/Reynald Thompson *'Ajhik' *'Saoul' *Martin Kessler *Trey Donal *Kareem Al-Sadd *Henry Colloway *Stefan Mueller *Coroner Category:Mythology Episodes